Two Detroit Zoo employees were injured Sunday when a train car in its miniature railroad derailed, zoo officials said in a social media post.
No visitors were injured in the incident that happened at about noon, according to a Sunday post to the the Detroit Zoo’s Facebook page.
“One of our train cars derailed near the Rackham Member’s Entrance,” the post said. “No guests were injured; however, two Zoo staff members received minor injuries.”
As zoo staff work to determine what caused the derailment, the train will remain closed “until further notice,” officials said.
“If you pre-purchased train tickets online, please see a member of our Guest Relations team upon your arrival to the Zoo, and we will issue you a full refund,” the Detroit Zoo post said.
State inspectors declared the railroad unsafe in 1980, after 31 passengers were injured when the train collided with a truck at a zoo crossing. Following the crash, the railroad was shut down for three years. It reopened in 1983 after Detroit News readers contributed $32,000 of the $640,000 needed for repairs.
But the problems for the Detroit Zoo railroad weren’t over. Detroit customs officials slapped the zoo with a $35,000 customs duty fee because parts of the refurbished train were imported from Canada, The Detroit News reported in 1984.
The 2.5-mile miniature railroad opened in 1931, following a $20,000 donation by Detroit News President William E. Scripps.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: 2 Detroit Zoo workers hurt as train car in miniature railroad derails
Reporting by George Hunter, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By George Hunter, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
